Effects of decade‐long grazing exclusion and wind erosion reduction on community temporal stability in a semi‐arid grassland

Abstract Ecological restoration can help rehabilitate degraded grasslands and mitigate desertification and wind erosion. Grazing exclusion (GE), a prominent restoration practice, in conjunction with wind erosion reduction (WR) can have profound impacts on the long‐term stability of grassland plant communities. However, this area remains underexplored, which poses challenges for developing policies that support sustainable grassland management. This study, part of a decade‐long (2010–2019) field experiment, investigated the effects of GE and WR on the temporal stability of plant communities in a semi‐arid grassland on the Mongolian Plateau, China. The study also explored the underlying regulatory mechanisms driving these stability dynamics. Over the 10‐year period, GE increased total community cover by restoring the cover of tall‐stature species, which resulted in sub‐canopy light limitation and a reduction in the richness of short‐stature species and the overall community. Despite species loss due to GE, species asynchrony remained unaffected. In contrast, GE improved the population stability of tall‐stature species, contributing to a marginal increase in community temporal stability (CTS). Wind erosion reduction stimulated total community cover by enhancing the cover of both tall‐ and short‐stature species. However, WR decreased the richness of short‐stature species and the overall community. Exacerbated water stress, resulting from increased cover of short‐stature species under WR, suppressed CTS. In addition, the elevated soil nitrogen (N) concentration associated with WR further diminished CTS by reducing the temporal stability of short‐stature species. Synthesis and applications. Our findings highlight that while GE supports the recovery of dominant tall‐stature species and promotes their population stability, grassland communities recovering after WR face challenges such as water deficit and excessive N enrichment, leading to long‐term stability loss. Furthermore, the loss of short‐stature species under both GE and WR may disrupt grassland trophic relationships and destabilize food webs. Future sustainable management strategies should incorporate periodic or rotational grazing to alleviate sub‐canopy light limitation, enhance soil N uptake, and reduce water demands, which could help maintain the temporal stability of temperate grassland communities.